Why Wellness?

​Wellness is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. But what does that really mean? Are we actually doing the right things for the sake of wellness?

I would argue that the term wellness gets misused a lot, though. Many times it is used synonymously with the absence of symptoms. But true wellness is defined as:
     
  




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​Wellness is all about working preemptively on your health to avoid health crises and add quality to your life.

This makes wellness chiropractic care a no-brainer because chiropractic works through removing interference in the nervous system, allowing the body to function as best it can. 

A lot of times I hear things similar to “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” as a reason not to receive consistent chiropractic care. People “feel fine” but not having symptoms really only means that you haven’t reached a point yet where you have developed symptoms. Which is why it is important to get your spine checked; if you have a reduced cervical curve you are actively working toward dysfunction and disease. Depending on whether or not you are in touch with your body you could never feel pain at all and still have degenerative processes affecting your spine. 

I also frequently hear people talk about the cost of chiropractic care. Usually it's because we were taught our whole lives that you only have to think about your health in the broad "eat right and exercise" frame of mind. In that model you don't take actions for your health until you've encountered an issue to fix. The problem with this mindset is that oftentimes you are not actually healthy, you're just not sick yet. Health should be an investment. If you've ever heard the phrase GIGO (or the alternative, BIBO) you know that it stands for Good In, Good Out. You also know that it means that what you put in, you get out. We usually use this concept for relationships or work ethic but it fits PERFECTLY with your health and wellness. When you put in good input, every single day, your body is going to reward you with good output. You will be full of energy, fit, and conquering your life rather than passively submerging into sickness. 

Practicing wellness doesn't have to be a stressful, all-consuming process. I often encourage patients to start small. Drink more water in 8oz increments each week, eat one more serving of veggies than you did yesterday. You have to be careful of making it too small and never making change, but it's better for it to take you 3-6 months to change your habits than to try to do it all in one day and get burnt out and then quit. 
I like to be a no-judgement point of accountability with my patients. I'm happy to explore ways to make the changes you want because your overall health improving makes my job easier! (Ask me why, or read my facebook post about the 3 Ts: https://www.facebook.com/drtiffanyjones/posts/168271691605315)

3 chiropractic tips to get started working on your true wellness

• Ask yourself if the choices you make daily are for wellness or to “just make it through”.
• Make a list of small things you can do daily like taking a short walk in the evenings to actively improve your health.
• Make an appointment to have your spine and nervous system assessed to determine the presence of or even severity of degeneration.

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